The director's "Frankenweenie" opens to just $11.4 million despite decent reviews, his second 2012 disappointment after May's "Dark Shadows."
Tim Burton will direct Disney’s live-action Dumbo.
In the latest move by the studio as it continues to make live-action versions of its animated classics, Disney has tapped the Big Eyes helmer to take on the tale of a baby circus elephant who is made fun of for his large ears, based on the iconic 1941 film.
As THR exclusively reported, Transformers franchise writer Ehren Kruger penned the script. The film will use a mix of CGI and live action to bring the classic elephant story to life and will add a unique family story that parallels Dumbo’s journey. Justin Springer, who worked on Tron: Legacy as well as Oblivion, is producing with Kruger.
Disney’s latest live-action makeover, Cinderella, starring Lily James, opens this weekend. The studio has had strong success with its live-action versions of classic tales, including Burton’s reimagined Alice in Wonderland, which grossed a staggering $1.02 billion. And after Maleficent, starring Angelina Jolie as the iconic villainess, opened in May 2014, it went on to earn a stunning $758.4 million worldwide.
Burton, who currently is working on Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, is repped by WME.
The Wall Street Journal first reported the news of Burton’s attachment.
